Divisible and adjustable bridge or crane for lifting, carrying, or sustaining loads



Apr. 3, 1923. I 1,450,492

F. E.'M. DIARD v DIVISIBLE AND ADJUSTABLE BRIDGE OR CRANE FOR LIFTING, CARRYING,

OR SUSTAINING LOADS Filed Aug. 12, 1920 2 sheets-sheet l Apr. 3, 1923. 1,450,492

I F. E. M. DIARD DIVISIBLE AND ADJUSTABLE BRIDGE OR CRANE FOR LIFTING, CARRYING,

0R SUSTAINING LOADS v Filed Aug. 12, 1920 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Apr. 3, 1923..

UMTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCOIS EMILE DIARD, 01" LEVALLOIS-PERRET, FRANCE.

DIVISIBLE AND ADJUSTABLE BRIDGE OB. CRANE FOR LIFTING, CARRYING, OR SUSTAINING- LOADS.

Application filed August 12, 1920. Serial No. 403,075.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'FRANQOIS EMILE MAUnIon DIARD, a citizen of the French Re public, residing at Levallois-Perret, France,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Divisible and Adjustable Bridges or Cranes for Lifting, Carrying, or Sustaining Loads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The matter of this invention is a divisible and adjustable bridge or crane, destined for the use of lifting any kind of burdens, or the transportation of said burdens, if required. Said crane can be also used as a stand, or as a scaffolding trestle, as a pier or horse for a light bridge, as a pylon for supporting a single rail runway or for fastening the cable of a bac, etc.

The design of said crane insures many advantages, as stated hereafter:

The pattern for loads up to 1000-1500 kgr. can be taken to pieces by only one man,

that being done within a few minutes, without the use of any tool; the crane can be stably set up on any kind of ground or other surface, without requiring any preliminary levelling or preparation of the said ground or surface.

Itsheight and width can be readily adjusted, according to the various requirements.

Many various combinations are possible, vallowing its adaptation to any special cases.

The crane can be folded up, in view of facilitating its handling and transportation.

One form of this invention is shown by thedrawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a perspective view of the whole crane, when assembled;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the head or joint of one tripod;

Fig. 3 is a profile View of the same head;

Fig. 4 is a front view of one branch of the tripods;

Fig. 5 is a profile View of said branch;

Fig. 6-is a front and end view of one branch fitted with a shoe provided with points;

Fig. 7 is a profile view of the same;

Fig. 8 is a front view of a branch provided with an extension;

Fig. 9 is a front View of rolling wheels;

Fig. 10 is a profile view of the same;

Fig. 11 is a vertical section of a scaffolding trestle, and Fig. 12 shows the horizontal girder of said trestle, which is fitted with a timber floor. i

The crane substantially consists of both tripods 1 and 2, which are connected by means of a girder or beam 3; said beam is made from rolled iron joist (I-profile iron), and carries a hoist 1.

Each tripod consists of three branches 5, 6, 7 made from channel-iron; branches 5 and 6 are allowed to revolve within a common plane, and have respective pivots or axles 8, 9. Branch 7 is hinged perpendicularly to the plane of revolution of 5 and 6 and may revolve around axle 10.

The said axles 8, 9, 10 consist of bolts with hexagonal heads, and have feathers preventing their rotation. Said bolts are provided with washers 11, hexagonal clamping nuts with handling wings 12, and retaining pins 13 prevent the nuts 12 from falling away.

By means of the said axles, the branches 5, 6, 7 are connected with a bracket 14, made from sheet iron, and having the shape of one of the two halves ofa right-angled parallelopiped when cut into two parts by a sectional plane passing through the diagonals of both the opposed smallest faces.

The flange 15 ofsaidbracket has holes receiving the axles 8 and 9. A right-angled iron plate 16 is located perpendicularly to said flange 15, and fastened to it by means of rivets. Said plate has a hole receiving axle 10. Both the bracket 15 and plate 16 are reinforced by rivetted iron plates 17, 18, which are comparatively thick, in order to have the axles 8, 9, 10 held and guided like within bearings; that also prevents the holes from becoming. enlarged by wearing out.

In view of connecting more firmly the branches 5, 6, with bracket 14, the'fiange of said bracket may also have arc-shaped o'penings 19, 20, through which pass additional bolts 21-22, fitted with hexagonal nuts hava branch with ing wings allowing the said nuts to be tight ened without a tool. The same device may be used for branch 7.

The upper flange 23 of the said bracket, which carries the beam 3, is provided with a device for clamping the lower flanges of said beam. Said device substantially consists of two straps 2425, respectively held in place by means of studs 2627 with retaining pins; said straps are tightened by means of bolts 2829 provided with hexagonal nuts having handling wings.

In order to facilitate the setting up of the beam 3, helical springs are arranged in such a manner to push the straps 24L25 away from the flan e 23, until the nuts of the bolts 2829 have been tightened.

According to the various circumstances of employment, the said branches can be lengthened by extension pieces 31, or receive end pieces 32 provided with points or spikes 33, or end pieces 34 having shoes 35 (saidshoes can be plain shoes, or be provided withbmall points or corrugations), or endpieces such as 36, fitted with wheels or rollers 37. The said end pieces may be fitted on the extension pieces, as it can happen that the branches, after having been lengthened by addition of extension pieces, come to lie upon a weak or slippery ground, precisely for which case the special branch ends, such as 33, 34, 36 have been provided.

All the said extension or end pieces are made from channel iron and fit upon the channel iron components of the proper branches 5, 6, 7. Suitable fastening devices are provided for.

Said fastening devices may be of any suitable kind; one of the simplest and strongest of such devices consists of both bands 3839, which are drawn over the extensions or end pieces, surrounding both said pieces and the branches; said bands can be tightened by means of screws 40; the suitable length is secured by means of cleats 41, held by bolts passing through holes 42, drilled on both the extensions and end pieces.

The branches of the'tripods may be prevented from slipping, by the use of a shackle device, consisting either of two chains, or of any suitable combination of rigid tierods, which maybe of any one of the known systems.

' The crane, as described, is operated as follows:

First, both the tripods are erected and set opposite one to the other; in this operation, care must be taken of opening the branches as wide as possible, in order to permit to accede with the hands between the upper ends of the branches; after the bolts 21, 22'

have been removed.

Then, the nuts 2829 must be unscrewed and the lower flanges of the beam 3 are passed under the straps 2425, the nuts 28-29 are tightened and the branches of the tripods are brought together again. If slipping is liable to take place, the branches are to be connected each with the other by means of chains.

If the crane is to be used as a travelling crane, each branch of the tripods must be equipped with a wheeled end 36, which is clamped by the bands 3339, after having the cleats 41 fastened at suitable place, according to the required height of the crane. Then, the tie-rods are adapted, which are intended to secure the stiffness of the Whole system.

If the crane is to be used as a scaffolding trestle, brackets or triangles 45 are clamped on the beam 3, and will serve to carry an element of timber floor 46.

The engine, as described, has many and various uses, a number of which are pointed out hereafter.

If a wide space must be passed over, such as a canal, a wide ditch, or a hole, two cranes will be used together, one of which is erected on each side of the obstacle; these cranes will be connected by means of an auxiliary beam extending over said obstacle; suitable tie-rods will be provided for, in order to obtain the required stiffness.

On an uneven ground, or a demolition area, in short in every place where passage for cars could not be secured without painful and onerous clearing operations, a number of such cranes can be used supporting a beam which carries the rail of a suspension runway. The components of the cranes, as above described, permit to erect the said cranes, either on hillocks, or on the holes between said hillocks, thus obtaining some thing like a platform, either horizontal, or sloped according to the requirements. By this way, means of transportation can be secured in a very short time.

For holding a retaining cable, or the rope of a bac or ferry-boat, the crane must be erected in such a way, that the beam. be, as nearly as possible, perpendicular to the thrust on the rope. Said rope must be firmly fastened to the beam, and the branches of the tripods lying, relatively to the beam, on the same side as the rope must be fitted with the pick-shaped end pieces; said branches must be heavily driven into the ground, in order to resist firmly to the thrust of the rope.

WVith a tackle-block or a hoist fastened on the beam, it will. be possible to exert a draught, if required, for example, for moving a boat or the like.

It has already be stated that this crane can serve as a travelling crane, or as a scaffolding trestle.

What I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising in combination two tripods with or more tripod legs is provided with a spiked 10 pivotally attached legs, a beam having shoe. flanges, plates on each tripod adapted to In testimony whereof I afiix my signature engage said flanges and screws for tightenin presence of two witnesses.

5 ing said plates.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein one or FRANCOIS EMILE MAURICE R more of the tripod legs is provided with an Witnesses: extension slidably attached thereto. WM. SAILLE,

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein one CLEMENT S. EDWARDS. 

